A delegation of the Culture and Information Committee headed by Committee Chairperson Vesna Marjanovic met today at the National Assembly House with a delegation of the German Bundestag Culture Committee headed by its Chairperson Monika Grütters.

The German parliamentarians were interested in the functioning of the National Assembly, as well as the competences of the Culture and Information Committee.

Vesna Marjanovic stated that the Parliament’s functioning is currently under reform aimed at strengthening the institution and its control role. Strengthening the assembly committees is one of the most important tasks which would ensure their greater influence on the creation of legal solutions and higher efficiency.

The Committee Chairperson informed the guests that last year the National Assembly adopted a Culture Law and Law amending and modifying the Public Information Law, and ratified several important international cultural conventions.

Committee member Nenad Prokic pointed out that inclusion into the European cultural, economic and political space is Serbia’s priority and stressed that the National Assembly’s work is public, which is not the case with some other institutions. He said that the Culture and Information Committee should play a more important role than so far in the creation of Serbian cultural policy and monitoring and formulation of media policy.

The German parliamentarians pointed out that culture and free and independent media have a significant influence on the development of a democratic society. They stressed that culture is considered very important in Germany and the competences mostly lies with the provinces, so that the Bundestag Culture Committee mostly deals with the protection of the cultural heritage, development of institutions and current cultural trends. Monika Grütters said that culture is “an economic factor, as well as a humane factor implying general freedom, and above all, freedom of opinion.”

Committee member Jelena Trivan also took part in the meeting.